James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia

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History of the Award

The James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia is given to honor the memory of Professor James S. Brown, a sociologist on the faculty of the University of Kentucky from 1946 to 1982, whose pioneering studies of society, demography, and migration in Appalachia (including his ethnography of “Beech Creek”) helped to establish the field of Appalachian Studies at UK and beyond.

2019 Award Information

The Award supports graduate student research on the Appalachian region. To be eligible, students must be actively enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree program at UK. The Award must be used to meet the costs of doing research relevant to social life in Appalachia including travel, lodging, copying, interviewing, ethnography, data collection, archival research, transcribing, and other legitimate research expenses. The Brown Award does NOT cover registration or travel costs for presentations or attendance at conferences. Several awards will be given this funding cycle. Up to $1,000 will be awarded to each recipient.

Applications for the 2019 James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia that are NOT funded will automatically be entered into the competition for the 2019 UK Appalachian Center Eller & Billings Student Research Award. Those who receive the Brown Award will NOT be eligible for the Eller & Billings Award during the same funding cycle.

Recipients will be asked to give an update on their research in a SWAP (Sharing Work on Appalachia in Progress) presentation with Appalachian Studies faculty and students during the 2019-2020 academic year. Recipients will also provide a copy of their presentation to be shared with the wider Appalachian Studies community.

Applications for the 2019 James S. Brown award are due February 15, 2019. For required materials and to apply for the 2019 James Brown S. Award click the "Apply Now" button below.